Dark Shadows: Diary of Titus Clark
by IBarnabas
Summary: In "House of Dark Shadows",there are distinctly different origins and timelines for the characters. Barnabas tells Willie that "they" put a curse on him, suggesting a group. In "Night of Dark Shadows",Carlotta hints continuity as she mentions Ms Stoddard's traditions before she died. This short backstory ties the films together,and sets up my upcoming sequel, "Omen of Dark Shadows"
1. Chapter I

Dark Shadows: The Diary of Titus Clark

October 16, 1797

This record is the account of myself, Titus Clark, also known as "Titus the Beloved", a disciple of my lord, Judah Zachary. I joined the coven of my master 17 years ago as a small child. Judah raised me as his own, and gave me life. As he oft refers to me, I am a man after his own black heart.

The irony and tension were thick as my heart grew sick with despair as I stood and watched my master bound as a common criminal before the filthy locals of Collinsport. His charge: crimes against humanity. The means: through occultism and witchcraft.

The echoes of angry accusations and the harsh shouting of the tribunal silencing the crowd resounded within the tiny walls of the courthouse. No one knew I was there except for my master, Judah. He could not see me, as the tribunal saw fit to cover his head and eyes with a black hood, leaving only room enough for him to breathe the stagnant smell of mildew and cedar that filled the courtroom.

I watched every last witness testify against him, and at long last, the time came for a verdict. I had been with my lord many years to know that, in trials involving witchcraft, there was no such thing as a "not-guilty" verdict. Eager to silence the angry locals and increase their chances for re-election, the presiding "honorable" men in their powdered wigs would always deliver the accused to the accusers. This trial would be no exception. I would see my beloved master sentenced and put to death.

If only these simpletons would hear him out, they would find that Judah Zachary only wanted to better them. The deaths and blood he was responsible for were necessary to advance his cause. However, it was necessary, perhaps, that he did enter into death's slumber. As he often told us in many of our sanctuaries, he would one day lay down his life, as it was necessary for him to conquer death before he could truly come to full power that we all knew that only a savior could possess. Judah would not allow himself to be captured. Perhaps he knew it was time for him to face death and conquer it, so that he may lead us to Paradise, a world where we would rule with him as gods among men.

Watching the splinters of the cracking wood flying into the floor, my eyes beheld the judge, Joshua Collins, pounding the gavel for the last time and delivering the verdict and sentence in his well-known arrogance. The verdict: guilty on all accounts. The sentence: death by beheading. I listened to the prophetic words of Judah as he spoke directly to the man who delivered his death sentence.

"Hear me now, Joshua Collins, and all of you! I set a curse upon the house of Collins! I command the powers of darkness to inflict my wrath upon you! The night of my death an evil familiar shall deliver a curse upon your family so violent that none of you shall survive! All of you here who have stood in judgment against me will perish because of the evil that will befall the Collins family!"

Joshua's gavel began breaking the wood of the podium he stood behind, and his eyes burned with fear and rage. The gasps and drawing back of the crowd were like music to my ears. Judah had the power, with his words alone, to kill the strongest and bravest of men by fright. Tonight, he didn't want to kill them. No, he wished them to dread something far worse than death. During the struggle of the guards trying to silence him and take him away, his black hood was removed and he gazed out at the crowd who stood silently paralyzed with fear. Even the mighty brawn of Collinsport's finest deputies stood helpless and withdrew from him as he fixed his eyes upon the crowd.

"Harken unto me, you fools! With my death in this body, you will release in me a power that will one day conquer this earth! I will resurrect and become the chosen vessel of he who sits on the throne of brimstone to rule the world! You will all burn and suffer in torment in the flames of Hell! I shall laugh and mock your pain as you have mocked the God whom you claim to be devoted to with your hypocrisies! I care not what happens to this body! None of you are safe! Your women and your children will suffer greatly because of your persecution of me! My hatred will return with me upon all of you and your children for generations to come! Their blood…is on your hands!"

All the self-control I could exhaust was barely enough to contain my laughter when I heard the bloodcurdling screams of all those who were there. Screaming and trembling from disbelief, they all raised their hands that were soaked and dripping with blood. Children wailed and women fainted. Men cursed and wrung their hands angrily.

As if the world had suddenly stopped turning and time itself were suspended, I felt an energy filling the room as Judah turned to face me.

All was still as he spoke these words to me with his mind, "Titus, my beloved disciple, the time has come to assemble together all of our brothers and sisters together to invoke my most powerful curse I taught to you. The one I have marked to bear the curse is the firstborn child of Joshua Collins. He will be the destructor of this doomed village. Weep not for me, my dearest son. Death in this body will only strengthen me beyond mortal comprehension, as it is written and as I have taught you since your youth. Tell our brothers and sisters to honor my last commandment, and we shall bring forth a new world bathed in the blood of those who stand against us. We shall be reunited very soon. My end is our genesis, Titus. I shall remember you, my beloved disciple, most of all as I enter into my kingdom below. Go now."

Time seemed to flow freely again, and I disappeared from the chaos inside the room into the night. My destination was our secret sanctuary underneath the jagged rocks of a cliff that the townsfolk called "Widows Hill". This small alcove was our most secret meeting place. Judah had told us to assemble there on this night. He said that, no matter what happened to him, do not disobey. Perhaps, now I understand that Judah knew it was time for him to face death so that he may rise as the new ruler of this world…

(…page torn, writing illegible…)

I am going to stop here. My hands are losing their strength and my body is weak from the curse we have conjured tonight. Perhaps, in the morning, I shall have strength enough to continue.

(…pages missing…)

…as he smiled. A hush had fallen over the crowd because of the fear that washed over them like a wave of the ocean beneath the cliffs of Collinsport. My master, Judah, stared into the souls of each of them. I could feel it. He saw within them their deepest sins, struggles, and darkest secrets. With a blink of his eye, a sharp wind blew. The gasps of men and screams of women and children erupted as the torches and firebrands were extinguished all by his power, leaving them in a shroud of darkness.

The executioner wasted no time, and covered his head quickly with a black hood and pulled him hurriedly to the block. My sadness of seeing my master dying at the hands of such hypocritical fools was swallowed back as I heard the words of my master within my ears. "My end is our genesis, Titus. I shall remember you, my beloved disciple, as I enter into my kingdom below."

With one torch rekindled in the village square, a red glow shone over the crowd. My master sat still on his knees, and did not move or tremble. Only a man destined to be the prince of this world was capable of such calm in the face of death. Soon he would overcome death itself, making it his first servant. The shrill hiss of wind being split in two by the steel of the executioner's axe seemed to stir the hearts of all the people there in the village square.

Loud cheers and cursings filled the cold, crisp air that night. With one mighty swing and the sound of fine steel slicing through the air, I lowered my head and felt my heart grow sick. I looked up, and there lay my master's lifeless body. The constable quickly carried Judah's body to the poorly made box that was to be his bed for eternity.

The few guards present all but struggled to keep the angry crowds away as they ran toward the platform demanding the body surrendered to them so that they may destroy it. The constable shouted above the crowd, insisting that Judah's body must first be properly purified by holy water to keep him from returning before burying him. The superstition was that, even if ashes were all that remained, one's inner evils still contaminated those ashes. The fact was, I could not allow Judah's body to be anointed by holy water. The purification would make him suffer in great pain before his soul would be forced back into the depths from which he came.

In obedience to Judah's commandment, the mistress, Angelique, whom Judah esteemed as his beloved sister in the faith and owner of his heart, went…

(handwriting illegible, a page is missing)

…to our secret sanctuary. The people in town would have much to talk about tomorrow. They would say that Judah's disciples have stolen him, and, as accurate as that is, they will never trace us here.

The "saintly" Joshua Collins would not attend the execution a few hours ago. We knew he would be trying to contain the misery of what was going to be the most painful suffering and shame that any member of the great Collins family has ever…

(...page stained, writing illegible...)

(I do not own the rights to Dark Shadows. This is my fanfic written for reader enjoyment)


	2. Chapter II

...with Judah's last breath, the destroyer appeared. We summoned from the depths a familiar, who are the unholy bringers of death and destruction from Lucifer himself. We prayed to him on Judah's behalf to carry a curse upon the first-born of Joshua Collins. With our collective powers and prayers, an answer was given.

A giant bat carried with it a malady of our hatred and disgust for Joshua Collins, the one who put our master to death. The impurity of evil would spread through the bloodstream of its victim like an adder's venom. Yes, Joshua's son, Barnabas, would die an excruciatingly painful death in the self-same hour. That night, he would arise as one of the living dead.

His reason would be reduced to common savagery. His once gentle mannerisms would give way to primal, animalistic instincts. He will have no friend. His dearest family members, proud and arrogant, will loathe and hate him. Their fear and rejection of him will quickly lead to their plotting to destroy him and keep his curse a secret. His curse: vampirism.

A vampire's vulnerabilities have been passed through legends for centuries. However, our hatred was directly proportional to the deliverance of the curse. Our vengeance would not be satisfied by such a predictable end. Barnabas may only be truly destroyed when the arms of death are embracing him during the day in his coffin. One must not only pierce his heart with a wooden stake, but must also strike death itself while its arms embrace him during the light of day.

The family may try to burn him with holy water, poison his blood by piercing him with silver, leave him to die in the sunlight, or even driving a stake through his heart while he lives at night. Nay, all these attempts shall be in vain. Barnabas Collins will never be truly stopped until he and death are struck together in the aforementioned manner. He will return.

Barnabas will soon turn on them as well. His perceptions of them will be that they have rejected and betrayed him. He will never allow them to destroy him. Nay, his nature will betray that notion. He will undoubtedly try to destroy them all, save one.

Every wild beast, regardless of its prowess and strength, has always felt within it one weakness that dulls the savagery of its natural behavior: the need for a mate. Every man or beast, which there are no true differences between them, has fallen victim to this desire.

With this curse, Barnabas shall not be able to resist his urge to claim someone as his bride. In nature, all creatures must mate with their own kind. Poor Barnabas…he will never be able to take a bride by natural means. He is neither truly human nor truly dead. Only an unnatural act of passing his curse to the woman he chooses will satisfy his need of finding a bride.

Where will Barnabas find such a creature? She will never come to him willingly. The arrogance of the du Pres family is only matched by that of the Collins family. His betrothed, Josette Du Pres, will never accept him.

Will Barnabas succumb to his desires to infect her against her will? Time shall tell what kind of man Barnabas Collins really is.

October 18, 1797

The deed is done. We successfully recovered the coffin with our lord's body inside. The Reverend Strack, whom was revered as the holiest men of faith, was on his way to Collinsport to perform the purification rite of Judah's body. However, a simple spell preoccupied him with a broken carriage wheel on the way to the chapel. We had to make haste.

We knew that Judah's body would be left unguarded as many of the townsfolk were afraid to be left alone with it. Even in death, they feared his power. All that is left to do is to place the mask of Baal, his most treasured possession, inside to preserve him until the day of resurrection. Angelique and I opened the coffin and Brother Dawson placed the mask…

(…page missing…)

…was awakened by a loud scream. Someone had fallen from the cliffs. I ran toward the entrance, but I did not need to open it to hear what had just happened.

Many a drunken fool had stumbled to his demise on these rocks. This was different. There was a woman's scream trailing down to the sand and rocks below. The winds carried the wails of a man calling after her. I knew immediately who the victim was from the name shouted into the night winds: Josette du Pres.

The broken body of Josette Du Pres lay in a bloody tattered wedding dress twenty paces from our sanctuary entrance. The voice of the man screaming after her belonged to none other than Barnabas Collins. There was no doubt. With the only connection to his innocence dead by his own doing, there was nothing left to bridle his evil nature. He would be an unyielding force of pure hatred and evil. Many would fall victim to the hate that was surely and quickly consuming him.

I looked forward to hearing the bustling of rumors that would follow the next day. "Did you hear? Was the son of the mighty Joshua Collins was killed by a plague? Is anyone else in the family infected by this plague? Where will we buy our food if the Collinses are carrying the plague? The Collins Family Cannery….(writing illegible) …his bride throw herself from the cliff because she was infected as well? Maybe something had frightened her. Maybe someone or something she saw just before she fell. No one has seen Barnabas. Is it because he returned to England after the death of his beloved as Joshua has told everyone?"

(…page missing…)

October 21, 1797

Today I received word from Brother Dawson that rumors of Barnabas Collins' sudden departure are quickly spreading like the plague that some believe him to have died from. Many of the townsfolk have been talking of cattle being found far from their farms and completely drained of blood.  
>The same two puncture marks seemed to be the trademark of whomever or whatever was doing this. Some believed it to be a wild beast. Some swore that they had caught a glimpse of a man in black kneeling beside them before he quickly vanished. Another theory is that Judah's proclamation of revenge stirred his disciples to kill the cattle of those who sentenced their master to death.<p>

How like them to downplay Judah's powers and accuse us of such petty acts of revenge. Nay….Judah will rise soon. He must! I have his most treasured possession, the mask of Baal, buried with him. He shall remain perfectly preserved and ready to receive his spirit once again after he conquers death.

Soon, this town will know the truth of Barnabas Collins. They will find out in their dying moment the curse we put upon him. Despite Joshua's lies of Barnabas traveling to England to settle after the death of his bride, all of Collinsport will know what has become of him. The scandal and bloodshed will bring the family to such shame that it will never see hope of redemption. They will be driven out or put to death. Barnabas will not be stopped. He may die a thousand deaths before they learn the secret to his destruction.

They will all suffer for what they have done to Judah Zachary. Only a short matter of time before the night of Samhain. Judah will be resurrected, and we shall rule with him in Paradise.

November 16, 1797

For matters of safety, we thought it best to seek sanctuary elsewhere. The many busybodies of Collinsport have often wandered to the place where Josette's body was violently broken, and we were concerned that our coven would be exposed. I could not allow anyone to take our master's body from us and keep him from resurrecting. We have taken refuge inside the caves near Logan's port. How soon I wish we could return. I was not particularly pleased with taking Judah's body further away from those he vowed to slay, but his protection was our first mandate. Soon we can return, and make preparations for his…

(…sections missing…)

The space of a year has past since Barnabas Collins was thought to have been seen. Rumors of him are a thing of the past. I am unable to understand where he has gone. I had thought that our curse would be a force that would stain the streets of Collinsport red with the blood of those who had Judah executed. The Collins family are once again in complete control of everything and everyone here. Where had Barnabas gone? He would not have left of his own free will. Had he been destroyed? Have we failed our beloved Master Judah?

(…sections missing…)

December 29, 1804

(…page stained, writing illegible…)

…have scattered abroad. Judah may not have returned as of yet, but he has seen their blasphemy and betrayal. They will be punished with a fate far worse than any death. They will pray to Judah for forgiveness and mercy, but he will have none of it. Brother Dawson, may he rule in favor by our master's side. Reverend Harridge had him executed without trial after he passed him on the street and saw the brass pentagram of Judah Zachary falling out of his pocket onto the road . This brass symbol was used by Judah to cast his spells, and was seized as evidence and buried with Judah's body, so that it, too, would be doused in holy water and incinerated.

He was beheaded almost on the spot by one of the guards escorting the Reverend, and his body was was immediately taken and burned. Now myself, Angelique, and a few others with no where else to go are all that remain. Many have turned away from Judah because he has not chosen to return. Sustaining their faith through times of hunger and suffering proved to be too difficult for them to….

(…section missing…)

February 24, 1805

Judah has chosen not to return as of yet. Perhaps he is testing our dedication. Only one who is willing to suffer with him may rule by his side when he returns. Angelique and I are all that remain of our sanctuary. All those who have denied and rejected Judah will suffer torment throughout eternity, and there is no redemption for them. Judah Zachary does not forgive.

Angelique and myself have devised a plan that will make the ignorant people of this town remember Judah's name. We would enter into the Collins family and kill them in Judah's name. We would have to be secretive in our actions, as we wouldn't want the people to only think of us as criminals. Nay, we had to make it seem as if Judah's curse upon the family was becoming a reality.

This town shall be brought to its knees again in fear at the thought of Judah's revenge coming to pass. This would be pleasing unto Judah, and perhaps the bloodshed of his enemies would prove a worthy sacrificial offering unto him. Perhaps then, he shall return to us once we have proven our love for him.

(…sections missing; a tattered note is stuck to the seam of the book…)

"On this, the 27th day of November in the Year of Our Lord, 1806, the esteemed Reverend Harridge recognizes the ceremony of holy matrimony of Gabriel Collins, son of the late Jeremiah Collins, to Angelique Bouchard, daughter of the late Philip Boucha… (torn)

((I do not own the rights to Dark Shadows. My fanfic is for reader enjoyment :)= ))


	3. Chapter III

June 22, 1807

Angelique and I have met secretly for the first time since her marriage to Gabriel Collins. She reported little. There is no spoken word of Barnabas other than his return to England, and it is a subject that is closed as soon as it is opened. She mentioned, however, a little girl of one of the family servants that she has taken a fondness to. The little girl's name is Sarah Castle. Angelique assured me that Sarah knows many of the family secrets, and that she is quickly earning Sarah's trust. According to Sarah, Barnabas was confined to a secret room. She had overheard Joshua talking of a secret room where they stored a hidden cache of muskets and muzzles during the war, and that no one would find him there. Sarah saw Joshua writing a note after he discussed the room. As Joshua read aloud, Sarah remembered his words and wrote them down. She gave this note to Angelique in secret, but neither of us knew its interpretation. It read:

"The Madonnas rest high above, the lion's head watches the dove. And in the womb beneath the hill, a blazing light grows bright and still."

(…page stained, writing illegible…)

… her marriage to Gabriel was the only means that we could safely enter into the Collins mansion to carry out our plans. The family should have been more discreet than to merely accept that a woman of Angelique's charm and beauty could be bestowed upon such a wastrel like Gabriel Collins. With every look that he gave, Angelique felt sick with disgust and resentment.

Angelique did mention that Joshua Collins, the mighty patriarch, was showing signs of disorientation. Age and the secrets that he held had taken their toll on him as of late, and doctors feared that he had very little time left. Angelique said that Joshua has named Gabriel's brother, Charles and his wife Laura, as his sole heirs to the entire Collins family house and wealth.

This has caused much enmity between the two brothers, Charles and Gabriel, as Joshua was to divide the family property more equally between them. Angelique didn't have to admit to me that she had a part in that. I know her too well. No doubt she used a spell to influence Joshua's decision. She was playing a game with the family, and causing them to hate each other. She was playing the game, and enjoying herself.

(…sections missing…)

DECEMBER 18th, 1808

I have retreated to an abandoned house some distance from the road to Eagle Hill Cemetery. My attempts to uncover the meaning of Sarah's note have been in vain. My master is safe with me, and his body remains undisturbed.

Undisturbed. Why must he remain undisturbed? Why has he not returned?

How long is "soon"? When he sees my faithfulness and Angelique's he will be pleased. Perhaps then he will come back to us.

December 3, 1809

The news of Joshua Collins' death has quickly spread through the village. The appointment of Charles Collins as the family patriarch has been met with positive and negative comments. Some believe he is too involved in his art to carry on the responsibilities of the Collins Enterprises. Albeit, Gabriel is well-known as a worthless failure despite his best efforts. The only redeeming quality named of Gabriel is the beauty of his wife, Angelique.

January 26, 1810

Angelique has refused to meet me. She didn't even return a passing glance at the funeral services of Joshua Collins. I must have faith. Perhaps she thought it best to not return my glance as it might arouse suspicion. Had she discovered the answer to Sarah's riddle?

(…page stained, writing illegible…)

I have had complete faith in my master's words. Nay, I have not opened the coffin to look inside except for the day that I placed the mask inside to preserve his body. Had I opened it to look and see if the power that Judah claimed it to have, Judah might have taken it as a sign of disbelief in his powers. I must prove my devotion and trust in his words.

The flow of time runs differently in the netherworld, and Judah's time to return will be soon. Patience.

June 8, 1810

(…page stained, writing illegible…)

….has betrayed us, Master! She whom you loved has fallen away and used you as a means to pursue her own desires! Angelique has blasphemed your name for her lover, Charles Collins!

I met her in the woods and she told me that she only wanted to live with Charles Collins and share the wealth of Collinwood! It was all a ploy! She used her magic that you taught her to force Joshua Collins to bequeath his fortune to Charles because she was having an immoral relationship with him outside of wedlock! She boldly proclaimed her rejection of you by saying the words, "Judah is dead, Titus! He is not coming back! I hate him! Let his soul burn forever! He left us first, and now I have left him. I refuse to go on living my life and loving a dead man. Neither should you, Titus. Charles is my life, and I shall be his mistress. Do not try to stop me! I shall never see you here again. If you come near the house, I will know it. The day you ever come near me or speak to me again will be a day you shall suffer greatly."

Her blasphemy is unforgivable, Master! In your name, I will find a way to punish her for her unfaithfulness!

September 12, 1810

My resolve is much stronger now. Word has been spreading this week of all of the bad blood between Gabriel and Charles, and I knew that now was the time to act. No doubt, Gabriel and Laura Collins had learned of the immoral relationship between Angelique and Charles, and this "respectable" family was coming apart.

Did I care? Nay; quite the opposite. My only thought was to make Angelique suffer most of all. Over the last week, I have devised a way to expose her witchcraft, and for her to be appropriately punished and humiliated like Brother Dawson was. Reverend Harridge was not a man to waste time in exorcising what he deemed to be evil spirits. Using a spell, I would cause further division to an already-crumbling family.

(…pages missing…)

…did it tonight. I set fire to the cannery while Gabriel was inside. I knew that whether he died or not made little difference with my plans. Of course little damage was actually done to the cannery, but just enough to arouse suspicion of witchcraft. How did I do this? I used a brass pentagram similar to that of Brother Dawson's to cast the spell so the flames would appear suddenly inside Gabriel's quarters, thereby leaving no traceable evidence of vandalism.

I knew how superstitious the people of Collinsport were, and there was no question that such an enigma would be blamed on black magic.

I have written an anonymous letter to Reverend Harridge concerning the incident. I had it delivered to him before the incident.

In it, I told him that I was a pious soul who suspected that Angelique Collins meant to destroy her husband, Gabriel, so that she may live in immorality with his brother Charles. I also added that I knew of her many years ago, and was sure that she was trained by Lucifer himself to practice witchcraft.

How could I prove this? With the use of a spell that I had learned from a wise Indian in Barbados, I was able to make the brass pentagram vanish and reappear inside Angelique's and Gabriel's room. There would be no question as to whom it belonged to. I had planted the suggestion and opportunity for Reverend Harridge to destroy a witch, and he would not be satisfied until he had what he wanted.

Gabriel would find the charm, and would no doubt surrender it to the reverend to avoid firebrands and scandal. The plan was in motion, and Angelique would soon suffer and die as a witch and as the traitor she was.

(…pages missing…)

…as I wished! The Reverend Harridge publicly accused Angelique of being in league with Lucifer, and she firmly renounced his claims. Now, Harridge is dead by my own spell. Using his handkerchief as a medium, I molded a doll in his likeness so that I could end his life. I wrapped the handkerchief around the doll's neck, and pulled as tightly…

(…page stained, writing illegible…)

October 14, 1810

Strack was the first to arrive at Collinwood and confront Gabriel and Laura concerning Angelique's witchcraft.

I am certain that Strack had no trouble convincing them to rid the house of the witch. Perhaps even threatened them that if they did not, he would return with an angry crowd convinced that they were harboring a witch, and that the people of Collinsport would forever be turned against them.

I am not a vain fellow, but I was quite amused by my insight to bring about this turn of events. Angelique would die, and so would begin my vengeance of Judah Zachary.

Unaware of my presence, I watched far away from the woods as Angelique marched so solemnly to the tree where she would be hanged for witchcraft. Through my looking glass, I noticed the pendant Judah gave her as a token of his love was missing from her neck. No doubt she had cast it aside or given it to someone.

Charles and Gabriel stood on opposite sides of Reverend Strack as he delivered his over-zealous sermon. The winds through the trees carried the sweet sound of Strack's final words: "Let the devil take his own!"

I watched her die instantly. The servants of Strack pushed her with great haste, and Angelique's neck was broken. With my mind's eyes and ears, I could see and hear her screaming as she descended into the depths of eternity. I believed Judah was very pleased with me.

(…page missing…)

In the wake of Angelique's death, Charles Collins has disappeared. Gabriel spread word around town that he went to England to live out his days with his cousin, Barnabas. It seems as if the Collinses tell everyone that whomever dies goes to England to live happily ever after. Much like a parent tells his child a story when their house pet…

(…section missing…)

(…writing weak and unsteady…)

…to take me. I haven't much time left. My hands ache as I write, and my body shivers with cold while my head burns with fever. I must summon all of my strength for my final act of devotion to you, Judah. Tonight, while Collinwood sleeps, I shall deliver you to them. Soon, they will see you resurrect in all of your glory. I regret that I will not be able to see it myself, as I waited to so many years.

Novemeber 1,1810

It is early morning, perhaps one or two hours after midnight. With only Gabriel and Laura there, I knew that I must act now.

I arrived near the house by my own carriage, and then I carried the coffin containing my master's precious body deep within the grounds of Collinwood. Beneath the bushes of the east wing, I began to dig.

I covered the dirt with light brush and leaves so as not to arouse suspicion. I stumbled down the hill, and drove away in my carriage. I unhitched the horses and set them free. I will no longer need them.

Tonight shall be my last spell. On this night of Samhain, I shall surrender my life force to Judah's body. As Judah taught me well in the relations between numbers and black magic, I am using them as a means to bring him back at another time.

Perhaps death proved to be too formidable a foe. If it will help my master to conquer it and live again, I gladly surrender my life. There will be no mistake this time. Judah Zachary will rise again.

Every nineteen years, the full moon shines on the night of Samhain, opening wide the doors to where the spirits of the dead roam, the last being seven years ago this night. The number nine is the number of power for those who are gifted in the occult, and it gives them powers and control beyond their otherwise normal thresholds.

Upon this very night, when the ninth cycle of a full moon shines upon the eve of Samhain, Judah Zachary shall enter through the door with more power than he ever had upon the earth. With his powers, he shall unleash all of his vengeance upon this earth like never before, beginning with the House of Collins. The night shall be Samhain, 1974.

I only hope that Judah sees fit to allow me to sit at his table once again in his new Paradise. How I miss those days of being by his side.

To you who may be reading this, make way the preparation for the master to come. Bless his name when he returns, sing his praises, weep not for those who shall perish.

I feel myself getting weaker, so I must stop here. It will take all that I have to perform the spell.

I, Titus Clark, the beloved disciple of Judah Zachary…(writing illegible)…receive my soul.


End file.
